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JERSEY FOOTLIGHTS; A Girl Named Maria

''Once upon a time there was a girl who dreamed of being on Broadway.'' That's how the dream-come-true biography of Laura Benanti, 19, begins in the playbill of ''The Sound of Music,'' which closes tonight on Broadway.

Given no previous Broadway credits, Ms. Benanti's very short bio allows space aplenty for thanks: To ''mom/voice teacher'' Linda, to her father Sal, a psychotherapist, and to her sister Mariel, 13, all of whom live in Kinnelon.

And to Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn, which gave Ms. Benanti its first ''Rising Star'' Award for outstanding actress in a high school production in 1996. Her prize performance: The title role in ''Hello, Dolly!'' at the age of 16. ''It's the Tony to high school students in New Jersey,'' Ms. Benanti, a member of Kinnelon High School, class of '97, said.

She auditioned for the role of Liesl, the oldest (''16, going on 17'') of the von Trapp family in ''Sound of Music,'' and landed the job as understudy to Rebecca Luker, the first Maria in the current revival.

She had to audition once more, this time for Richard Chamberlain, who joined the cast as Captain von Trapp in March. Maria, as written, is 18 -- and there is supposed to be a 30-year difference between the novitiate-governess and the captain, who falls in love with her. Mr. Chamberlain is 65 going on 66. ''But he seems younger and I seem older,'' Ms. Benanti said. ''I can pass for 25.'' ALVIN KLEIN

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A version of this article appears in print on June 20, 1999, on Page NJ14 of the National edition with the headline: JERSEY FOOTLIGHTS; A Girl Named Maria. Order Reprints|Today's Paper|Subscribe